All User Comments for: Health Disparities in New York City

This lengthy report from 2004 covers a range of well-selected measures of health and how they differ by income, race/ethnicity and neighborhood and how they have changed over time. It is a beautifully put together bookelet that makes the public health of a complex and dynamic city understandable. Bad news: poor people, Blacks and Puerto Ricans are less healthy. Good news: substantial improvements have been obtained in infant mortality and hospital admission rates for asthma especially in poor neighborhoods. Surprising news: childhood obesity and missed school days because of "feeling unsafe" is greatest among Hispanics. White teenagers smoke more that other racial/ethnic groups and White girls smoke more than White boys. Very useful, action-oriented data presented in innovative ways. I especially like the "tale of two neighborhoods" sidebars and the many graphs with titles that told me what I was looking at: "Black New Yorkers die from colon cancer at younger aes than White New Yorkers" and "Health coverage improves but does not guarantee preventive services." The brief conclusion to the report hits the bullseye.